Sarah, the RD?, is the best-letting all us NYC 'refugees' enter past the deadline. Loved the variety of the course-residential, wooded trail, running by water. Volunteers were so nice; spectators were encouraging for everyone. Yes, hills made it a tough race, but I still ran my normal time. The chili and soup at the end was the best, as were all the massage therapists. Everyone was just so nice!

Weather was perfect. Glad we got the 'foil' at the end. Just have absolutely no complaints and only kudos for a well-run, friendly, well-organized race.

Like a lot of people said, the course was overly hilly (no best times will be made here) and much of it was blase/ugly. You would think that in scenic NH the course would be beautiful but wasn't even close. Lots of people complained about the hills.

Overall this is a decent race and after running Chicago last month it was nice to run a small town (less crowded) marathon again. Me and my wife both thought it was a very friendly city. Weather was awesome, sunny and decent running temps.

Organization: Expo was pretty small as expected. As many have already commented, it's so nice to not have to fight traffic/crowds to get to the start line. We stayed at a hotel about 10 minutes away and drove right in and parked about 1 ½ hours prior with no problems, but could have come much later had we wanted to. I do think the 8:45 start time is too late.

Course: I didn't think the hills were as bad as some have commented, it's rolling but nothing that is terribly long or steep in my opinion (of course after running Wineglass I don't much expect to PR anymore anyhow). It did get pretty lonely (runners or spectators) after the ½ split off, but that's OK, it is what it is. Port-a-potties did seem a bit lacking. Plenty of volunteer's to guide us at turns that might have been confusing. I loved the trail portion through the park.

Swag/Extras: Love the arrangement with the YMCA to use showers as I had to fly out that evening and finished long after my hotel checkout time. I like the shirt (better then the one I got in Chicago, go figure). The medal is OK, I have better and worse, I don't think the sponsor's logo being large is an issue as some have mentioned; after all sponsors help keep the cost down, so let's not complain. I can't comment on post-race food as I didn't take the time to look for food afterward as I wanted to shower and to eat a real meal anyhow.

As a 50 state runner NH doesn't have very many other choices for marathons, but I think this one was a decent choice.

Absolutely loved everything about this marathon. Super friendly race officials and spectators, proximity of hotel to start/finish line, beautiful course with rolling hills...just awesome!

This is an old fashioned race where you go out and measure yourself against the course. You probably won't get a time to boast about but if you are true to yourself you will get something more enduring. People who quibble about traffic or broken sidewalks don't understand what running is all about.
This is a great race.

My 50th marathon and it was a beautiful day for a run. The course was hilly as promised and I trashed my quads by mile 16 but I still enjoyed the run.
The medal was small but the tech shirt was a light blue, it fit well, and it was nice.
I finished in 5 hrs and there was no band playing, there was only chicken soup left (it was good) and no muscle milk either.
The host hotel, the Radisson was great.
Running next to the traffic on the white line with no shoulder was not for the faint hearted.

The first 15 miles of the course are hilly, but like the other comments have indicated, no one hill is particularly fierce, except, perhaps, for a brief but memorable climb around mile 14. Overall, the loop course is well-planned. There are a lot of turns though neighborhoods, but there were volunteers and aid stations at key locations and we didn't get lost, even though we took the early start and there were only a few runners on the course early on. The straightaway finish on Elm Street in downtown was exciting. Parts of mile 5-6 were on a gentle wooded trail, and the final 5K featured some fast downhills, a footbridge over the Merrimack River back into the city, and enthusiastic crowd support. I appreciated the varying terrain. I can only think of one minus: Icy roads in a few of the hillier spots, and that could've been dangerous. Post-race in the park there was delicious chili, Muscle Milk, and massages. I recommend this small city marathon.

What a wonderful small/midsize race! Held the same day as the NYC Marathon, it's a really nice, low-key alternative. A beautiful run through the picturesque neighborhoods of this pretty New England town in late Autumn. Outstanding organization, a nice expo, outstanding volunteers and local law enforcement where they were needed.
And there's no leaving your room 4 hours before the race and waiting in a refugee camp until the start. You can hang out in the hotel lobby until a few minutes before the start, then at the finish there's hot chili and soup, and you're back in your hotel room in a few minutes. You won't get that in NY City!
The expo hotel (Radisson) was right by the start/finish line and offered airport shuttle so no rental car was necessary. It is quite hilly so not the best BQ course if you're looking for that.
My only complaint is that they could have had more portajohns along the course, I gave up waiting a couple of times when there was only one portajohn and there were spectators using it.

The day started on a cold side, but it turned out to be a great running day. I think they should start the event earlier, at least an hour earlier, especially given the end of daylight saving time. The water stations were as frequent as promised, along with GU at mile 9 and 17. Personally, I think they should have vanilla flavor, but that's a matter of preference. The shirt is ugly, no doubt about it. The medal is nothing special either. The sponsor's name is the most prominantly displayed item on both - come on!

Chilli, chicken noodle or tomato basil hot dishes at the finish line were an awesome idea. The band was great, but... there was no beer tent.

It is a nice small event. No problems finding parking. You will not find a lot of spectators, but a few patches here and there are nice.

Course - hilly, as promised. I did not find it all that scenic. Don't know Manchester well, but I think they could pick a better course - you run mostly thru residential areas. Also, if you have a fear of running with and against the traffic, the event is probably not for you. Hardly any road is actually shut down. The main intersections had someone directing the traffic, but there were some lonely ones as well. I realize the event is probably too small to shut down the city, but...

I was not at all happy with this marathon. Do NOT run it!! I repeat, DO NOT RUN IT!!! The only reason I could see why one would want to do this is if you have a 50-state goal or some other checklist goal or abstract mission that you are working on.

The course was not very scenic, it ran through some back roads, shabby residential areas, standard city streets. There were some parts over and along the river and through a city park that were nice, but overall, the course could have been a lot better. There is no reason why runners should be routed though construction areas or have to dodge cars. There were not nearly enough orange pylons to protect runners from traffic. At times it was unknown which side of the road we were supposed to be on. Too frequently we were running diagonally across roads that weren't even blocked off!!! So dangerous! I lost my cadence at least 4 times due to having to stop short for a car at a cross road. Some cross streets had people directing traffic, but not all. The race course was not clearly marked in all places and for as many turns and street crossings as there were, they really should have had more noticeable markings. Sometimes we were running on sidewalks and they were all broken up. Other times on road shoulders that were cluttered with construction and road debris (easy to trip).

I only noticed a medic once along the course and in the beginning. I started looking out for medics as early as the 14th mile because my Achilles was acting up, I wanted to get a wrap. But, didn't find any medical assistance until the finish line!

The finish area was confusing. No signs to direct runners where to go. The post-race food was a total disappointment. Only a few bananas, oranges, apples, and cereal bars with no bag to put the goodies in. The chili stand was out of vegetarian chili before I got there and I was a middle of the pack finisher. There were no post-race festivities as advertised. The band wasn't playing, nothing was going on except a small tent for massages (with a 30 minute wait for their 3 or 4 masseuses) and the disappointing food tent.

The medal for the full is almost exactly like the medal for the half. The difference between the two should be distinct. And, it is a cheap medal that devotes more space to advertising for Anthem than for displaying the race name or distance.

On the plus side, the volunteers were friendly and encouraging at the aid stations. Even though there were just a few spectators, they were enthusiastic and cheered for everyone. The pre-race line up was easy to get to and figure out. I picked up my bib same day and that was simple and hassle-free. The race tee is a long-sleeved tech-shirt (I like it). There were clocks at every even mile marker (except mile 24) and aid stations at every odd mile marker (except mile 1). So it was easy to feel like the miles passed quickly.

It was a disappointing race overall! Don't expect much if you do it and be ready to dodge traffic and road obstacles along the way.